The Pays de Loire (http://www.enpaysdelaloire.com) is an extensive region of north-western France located broadly to the west and south-west of the French capital Paris, separated from it by the adjoining region of Centre-Val de Loire with which it shares many affinities. The Pays de Loire is somewhat more diverse, however, and has a long coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, forming the northern part of the Bay of Biscay, within the area known as the Vendée.
